Safety flashlight for dogs

ABSTRACT

A dog flashlight illuminates the area in front of a dog in dark conditions, thereby eliminating the need for a dog owner to carry and direct a light source. The dog flashlight includes a housing containing at least one light source, a battery power supply for the light source, and a switch connected between the light source and the power supply for energizing and de-energizing the light source. When energized, the light source has sufficient brightness to illuminate the area in front of the dog so that the dog owner can observe the illuminated area for control purposes. One preferred embodiment includes an attachment device having a band carrying the housing and adapted to fit around the neck of the dog so that the housing is located in front of the chest of the dog.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This invention claims the priority of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/484,921, filed Jul. 2, 2003, for “DOG COLLARLIGHT.”

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a safety flashlight for dogsand their owners and, more particularly, to a lightweight device that isattachable to the neck of a dog, and that contains at least one lightsource for the purpose of illuminating a region in front of the dog andmaking the dog visible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a dogflashlight that can be attached to the neck of a dog to illuminate thearea in front of the dog in dark conditions, thereby eliminating theneed for a dog owner to carry and direct a light source. The dogflashlight includes a housing containing at least one light source (suchas a light emitting diode), a battery power supply for the light source,and a switch connected between the light source and the power supply forturning the light source on and off. When turned on, the light sourcehas sufficient brightness to illuminate the area in front of the dog sothat the dog owner can observe the illuminated area for controlpurposes. One preferred embodiment includes an attachment device havinga band carrying the housing and adapted to fit around the neck of thedog so that the housing is located in front of the chest of the dog.

It is difficult to hold the dog, a flashlight and a pooper scooper whenwalking a dog after dark. The present invention makes it easier on thedog walker by making it possible for the dog to carry the flashlight.The dog flashlight of this invention can be made small, lightweight andflat so that it does not bother the dog. The light output is brightenough to light the way and remains oriented so as to illuminate thesurroundings in front of the dog. The light source preferablyilluminates an area extending at least 10 feet, preferably at least 20feet, in front of the dog, and can be made to illuminate an areaextending as far as 200 feet in front of the dog. The light source alsopreferably illuminates an area that is at least 5 feet wide at adistance of about 10 feet in front of the dog.

There are several benefits to the dog flashlight:

-   -   1. Dog walkers do not have to carry a cumbersome flashlight when        walking the dog at night because the dog lights the way.    -   2. The dog flashlight is designed to illuminate what the dog is        looking at or smelling. Therefore, if the dog is sniffing or        looking at something potentially hazardous, such as a dead        animal or rancid food lying in the road, the dog can be        restrained.

3. If dog waste needs to be picked up, the dog flashlight providesillumination for the area.

4. The dog can be seen easily by cars, increasing safety for the dog andthe dog walker.

The preferred embodiment of mounted on or incorporated in, the dog'scollar, and thus, replaces the need for a person to hold a flashlightwhen walking a dog at night. The collar on a dog slants down so that acollar mounted light preferably slants upwards, e.g., 30–45 degrees, forthe beam of light to shine straight ahead in a horizontal direction.When the light on the collar is slanted up, the nose of the dog gets inthe way and forms a shadow. Therefore, the dog collar flashlightpreferably has at least three lights: a middle light, which is setstraight and therefore shines down on the ground in front of the dog,and two side lights which are spaced approximately an inch from themiddle light, depending on the size of the dog, and are slanted upwardsso that they shine straight out, around the dogs nose. The collarflashlight uses very bright LEDs (at least 5 mm with 10,000 medintensity) which provide sufficient illumination to serve as aflashlight replacement. The collar flashlight contains an on/off switchand a replaceable battery. The dog collar flashlight is attachable to anexisting collar or attached to an elastic band so it can be easily putaround the dog's head and taken off.

Another approach is to embed light sources and the LED batteries in acollar. As a further variation a rim may be provided around the LED areaso that the dog's hair doesn't get in the way of the light beams.

Yet another approach is to attach the flashlight to a dog collar bymeans of a hinged clip, so that the flashlight can be adjusted up anddown so that light beam remains oriented to illuminate the path in ahorizontal direction in front of the dog.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may best be understood by reference to the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dog wearing a dog flashlight,according to one embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front perspective view of the dog flashlight shownin FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the dog flashlight of FIGS. 1 and2,

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the dog flashlight of FIGS. 1–3,

FIG. 5 is a front perspective of the dog flashlight of FIGS. 1–4attached to an elastic band adapted to fit around a dog's neck,

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the interior of the front section of thedog flashlight of FIGS. 1–5,

FIG. 7 is the same perspective view shown in FIG. 6 with the batteriesremoved,

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the front side of the circuit boardcontained in the front section of the dog flashlight of FIGS. 1–7,

FIG. 9 is another perspective view of the front side of the circuitboard contained in the front section of the dog flashlight of FIGS. 1–7,with the lens removed,

FIG. 10 is an electrical schematic of the electrical circuit containedin the dog flashlight of FIGS. 1–9,

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic front elevation of a dog flashlight forattachment to a dog collar, according to another modified embodiment ofthe invention,

FIG. 12 is diagrammatic side perspective of the dog flashlight of FIG.11,

FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic front perspective of a dog flashlightintegrated into a dog collar, according to another modified embodimentof the invention,

FIG. 14 is a diagrammatic front elevation of a dog flashlight thatincludes a hair guard, according to another modified embodiment of theinvention,

FIG. 15 is a diagrammatic side perspective of the dog flashlight of FIG.14,

FIG. 16 is a diagrammatic front elevation of a dog flashlightincorporating four LED light sources, according to another modifiedembodiment of the invention,

FIG. 17 is a diagrammatic side perspective of the dog flashlight of FIG.16,

FIG. 18 is a diagrammatic front elevation of a dog flashlightincorporating five LED light sources, according to another modifiedembodiment of the invention,

FIG. 19 is a diagrammatic side perspective of the dog flashlight of FIG.18,

FIG. 20 is a diagrammatic front elevation of a dog flashlightincorporating six LED light sources, according to another modifiedembodiment of the invention,

FIG. 21 is a diagrammatic side perspective of the dog flashlight of FIG.20,

FIG. 22 is a diagrammatic front perspective of a dog flashlightintegrated into a dog collar with four LEDs, according to anothermodified embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 23 is a diagrammatic front perspective of a dog flashlightintegrated into a dog collar with five LEDs, according to anothermodified embodiment of the invention, and

FIG. 24 is a diagrammatic front perspective of a dog flashlightintegrated into a dog collar with six LEDs, according to anothermodified embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

Although the invention will be described next in connection with certainpreferred embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is notlimited to those particular embodiments. On the contrary, thedescription of the invention is intended to cover all alternatives,modifications, and equivalent arrangements as may be included within thespirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Turning now to the drawings, and referring initially to FIGS. 1–5, a dogflashlight 10, according to one embodiment of the present invention,includes a housing 11 made of molded plastic material and adapted to beattached to the neck of a dog (see FIG. 1). The housing includes a frontsection 12 and a rear section 13 which mate to form an internal cavityto contain the components described below. The front section 12 and therear section 13 are molded, along their respective joining internaledges, to form a snap fitting of the kind well known in the state of theart. The front and rear sections 12 and 13 may thus be easily takenapart for access to the internal cavity. Alternatively, the two partsmay be joined by an integral “living hinge” on one side and form anintegral snap-type latch on the opposite side to hold the two sections12 and 13 together.

The front housing section 12 forms a substantially oval aperture 14 forreceiving a translucent or transparent lens 15 through which light fromsources inside the housing can be transmitted forwardly from thehousing. In the illustrative embodiment, the front housing section formsupper and lower rims 16 and 17 along the upper and lower edges of theaperture 14 to prevent light from being transmitted straight up or downfrom the aperture. The ends of the aperture, however, are unobstructedso that light can be transmitted laterally directly from the end edgesof the aperture 14.

The illustrative dog flashlight 10 forms a unit that may be made smalland compact for ease of packaging, handling and use, and to reduce cost.For example, one preferred embodiment uses a housing of approximately 2⅛inches in the x dimension, 1⅝ inches in they dimension and approximately⅞ inches thick or deep. It will be understood, however, that thedimensions of the housing may be varied for different shapes anddesigns.

A hinge section 20 is molded as an integral part of the rear housingsection 13, and mates with a complementary hinge section 21 formed as anintegral part of an attachment clip 22. A pin 20 a is inserted throughthe two hinge sections 20 and 21 to hold them together while permittingrotational movement of the two hinge sections relative to each other.The opposed surfaces of the two hinge sections 20 and 21 that moverelative to each other are roughened to increase the friction betweenthose surfaces, to inhibit swinging movement of the housing 11 andthereby improve the stability of the light beam. Thus, the angularposition of the housing 11 can be adjusted relative to the clip 22 tooptimize the illuminated area in front of the dog, and the housing willremain in the selected position. The hinge also permits the housing tobe rotated 180 degrees so that it lies flat against the clip 22 beforethe clip is attached to the band used to attach the housing to the dog,thereby providing a shorter unit for use on smaller dogs.

The clip 22 also forms a pair of T-shaped slots 23 and 24 openingthrough opposite edges of the clip for receiving and holding a band 25(see FIG. 6) adapted to fit over a dog's neck. The band 25 is preferablymade of an elastic material so that it can be used with dogs of varyingsizes. When the band 25 is put around the neck of a dog, the band ispreferably located below any collar worn by the dog, so as to minimizeblockage of light by the dog's snout.

As can be seen in FIG. 5, the housing 11 depends from the bottom edge ofthe clip 22, and the lens 15 is located toward the lower end of thehousing 11, so that the light emanates from the lens a couple of inchesor more below the band 25. This helps avoid blockage of the light by thedog's snout.

An on/off switch 30 is located on the bottom of the front housingsection 12. A pattern area 31 and a lip 32 are molded into the housingto provide finger and thumb surfaces that can be felt and gripped whenopening the housing 11 to change batteries or to access the interior ofthe housing for other purposes such as to replace the light sources.

FIG. 6 shows the interior of the front housing section 12, whichcontains an internal circuit board 40. Three 1.5-volt alkaline batteries41, 42 and 43 are mounted on is the rear side of the circuit board 40,making contact with three pairs of conventional battery terminals 44 aand 44 b, 45 a and 45 b, and 46 a and 46 b attached to the circuit board40. FIG. 7 is the same view as FIG. 6 with the batteries removed to moreclearly show the battery terminals and their attachments to the circuitboard 40.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show the circuit board 40 without the housing. It can beseen that the lens 15 is mounted on the front side of the board 40, andthree light emitting diodes (LEDs) 47, 48 and 49 are mounted on theboard directly below the lens 15 (see FIG. 9). The center LED 48 ispositioned to emit a light beam directed straight forward, while the twoside LEDs 47 and 49 are positioned to emit light beams directed slightlyoutwardly on opposite sides of the dog's snout. The LEDs preferably emitwhite light with about 10,000 medium intensity. This combination oflight beams is capable of illuminating an area extending as far as 200feet in front of the dog, with a beam width that is at least 5 feet wideat a distance of about 10 feet in front of the dog. It will beunderstood that the LEDs may be varied in both number and size, but itis preferred that the source or sources be sufficient to illuminate anarea extending at least 10 feet, most preferably at least 20 feet, infront of the dog.

An incandescent lamp 50 is also mounted on the front side of the board40, for a purpose to be described below. Finally, the on/off switch 30is also mounted on the front side of the board 40, adjacent the bottomedge of the board.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the electrical circuit provided thecircuit board 40 to interconnect the various components mounted thereon.The three 1.5-volt alkaline batteries (AAA) 41–43 are electricallyconnected in series to provide 4.5 DC volts to the circuit through asliding SPST on/off switch 30. The three white LEDS 47–49 are connectedin parallel with each other and in series with the switch 30 so that allthree LEDs are illuminated when the switch 30 is turned closed. Theincandescent, tungsten-filament lamp 50, of the kind used for ornamentallighting, e.g., as in Christmas tree light string, is used as a constantcurrent ballast resistor in the circuit. The current flowing through thetungsten filament of the lamp 50 varies with the available voltage fromthe batteries 41–43 due to the positive temperature coefficient of thefilament, thereby providing a substantially constant amount of currentto the LEDs 47–49. By using the incandescent lamp 50 as a variableresistor, the life of the batteries is extended and the intensity of thewhite LEDs 47–49 is more uniform over the life of the batteries 41–43.

FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate a modified embodiment of the invention forattachment directly to a dog collar 100. This embodiment utilizes threeLEDs 101–103 with the center LED 102 emitting a light beam directedstraight forward and slightly upwardly, and with the two end LEDsemitting light beams directed upwardly and outwardly to avoid blockagefrom the dog's snout. The dog collar 100 passes through loops 104 on therear wall of the flashlight housing 105.

When LEDs attached directly to a dog collar are slanted up, the nose ofthe dog gets in the way and forms a shadow. Therefore, the middle LED102 is set straight so that it shines down on the ground in front of thedog, and the two side LEDs 101 and 103, which are spaced approximatelyan inch from the middle LED 102, are slanted upwardly so that they shinestraight around the dog's nose.

Turning now to FIG. 13, a dog collar flashlight 110, according toanother embodiment of the present invention, is embedded in a dog collar111. Three LEDs 112–114 are utilized. The battery power source andon/off switch are not visible in this view.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show a dog collar flashlight 120, according to anotherembodiment of the present invention, fitted with rims 121 and 122 thatact as hair guards to keep the dog's hair from obscuring the three LEDs123–125.

FIGS. 16 and 17 show a dog collar flashlight 130 similar to theembodiment of FIG. 13 but using four LEDs 131–134. The two center LEDs132 and 133 shine in a forward direction, providing more illuminationdirectly in front of the pet wearing the collar 135. FIGS. 18 and 19show a similar dog collar flashlight 140 having five LEDs 141–145. Thecenter LED 143 shines straight forward, while the LEDs 141 and 142illuminate the area to the pet's left side and the LEDs 144 and 145illuminate the area to the pet's right side.

FIGS. 20 and 21 show a dog collar flashlight 150 having six LEDs151–156. The center LEDs 153 and 154 illuminate the area directly aheadof the pet while the side LEDs illuminate the respective side areas ofthe pet wearing the collar flashlight 150.

FIG. 22 shows a dog collar flashlight 160 embedded in a dog collar 161and utilizing four LEDs 162–165. The two central LEDs 163 and 164 shineforward, while the two peripheral LEDs 162 and 165 shine up and outtowards their respective sides.

In FIG. 23, a dog collar flashlight 170 embedded in a dog collar 171uses five LEDs 172–176. The central LED 174 shines forward, while thefour peripheral LEDs 172–173 and 175–176 shine up and out towards theirrespective sides. FIG. 24 shows a similar arrangement utilizing six LEDs180–185. The central LEDs 182–183 shine directly forward, while theperipheral LEDs 180–181 and 184–185 shine up and out towards theirrespective sides.

While particular embodiments and applications of the present inventionhave been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited to the precise construction and compositionsdisclosed herein and that various modifications, changes, and variationsmay be apparent from the foregoing descriptions without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

1. A method of illuminating the area in front of a dog in darkconditions, eliminating the need for a dog owner to carry and direct alight source, comprising: attaching to the neck of the dog a housingcontaining at least one light source, a battery power supply for saidlight source, and a switch connected between said light source and saidpower supply for energizing and de-energizing said light source, saidlight source comprises three laterally spaced light emitting diodes, thetwo outboard diodes oriented to direct light forwardly past oppositesides of the dog's snout, and the central diode oriented to direct lightforwardly and downwardly, wherein said light source, when energized, isof sufficient brightness to illuminate the area in front of said dog sothat said dog owner can observe the illuminated area for controlpurposes.
 2. A method of illuminating the area in front of a dog in darkconditions, eliminating the need for a dog owner to carry and direct alight source, comprising: attaching to the neck of the dog a bandsurrounding the neck of the dog, and attached to a connector having anupper end configured to fit over said band and a lower end forming ahinged connection to a housing containing at least one light source, abattery power supply for said light source, and a switch connectedbetween said light source and said power supply for energizing andde-energizing said light source, wherein said light source, whenenergized, is of sufficient brightness to illuminate the area in frontof said dog so that said dog owner can observe the illuminated area forcontrol purposes.
 3. A dog flashlight for illuminating the area in frontof a dog in dark conditions, eliminating the need for a dog owner tocarry and direct a light source, comprising: a housing containing atleast one light source, a battery power supply for said light source,and a switch connected between said light source and said power supplyfor energizing and de-energizing said light source, said light sourcecomprises three laterally spaced light emitting diodes, the two outboarddiodes oriented to direct light forwardly past opposite sides of thedog's snout, and the central diode oriented to direct light forwardlyand downwardly, and an attachment device including a band for carryingsaid housing and adapted to surround the neck of the dog so that saidhousing is located in front of the chest of the dog, wherein said lightsource, when energized, is of sufficient brightness to illuminate thearea in front of said dog so that said dog owner can observe theilluminated area for control purposes.
 4. A dog flashlight forilluminating the area in front of a dog in dark conditions, eliminatingthe need for a dog owner to carry and direct a light source, comprising:a housing containing at least one light source, a battery power supplyfor said light source, and a switch connected between said light sourceand said power supply for energizing and de-energizing said lightsource, and an attachment device including a band for carrying saidhousing and adapted to surround the neck of the dog so that said housingis located in front of the chest of the dog, wherein said light source,when energized, is of sufficient brightness to illuminate the area infront of said dog so that said dog owner can observe the illuminatedarea for control purposes, and a connector having an upper endconfigured to fit over said band and a lower end forming a hingedconnection to said housing.
 5. A method of illuminating the area infront of a dog in dark conditions, eliminating the need for a dog ownerto carry and direct a light source, comprising: attaching to the neck ofthe dog a housing containing at least one light source, a battery powersupply for said light source, and a switch connected between said lightsource and said power supply for energizing and de-energizing said lightsource, said housing being attached to the neck of said dog by a bandsurrounding the neck of the dog and connected to said housing by anattachment device having a first portion adapted to be attached to saidband and a second portion attached to said housing, said first andsecond portions being pivotally connected to each other to permitadjustment of the elevation angle of the light beam emitted by saidlight source in said housing, wherein said light source, when energized,is of sufficient brightness to illuminate the area in front of said dogso that said dog owner can observe the illuminated area for controlpurposes.
 6. A dog flashlight for illuminating the area in front of adog in dark conditions, eliminating the need for a dog owner to carryand direct a light source, comprising: a housing containing at least onelight source, a battery power supply for said light source, and a switchconnected between said light source and said power supply for energizingand de-energizing said light source, and an attachment device includinga band for carrying said housing and adapted to surround the neck of thedog so that said housing is located in front of the chest of the dog,said attachment device having a first portion adapted to be attached tosaid band and a second portion attached to said housing, said first andsecond portions being pivotally connected to each other to permitadjustment of the elevation angle of the light beam emitted by saidlight source in said housing.